Aizawl: Several wild boars were found dead recently in the jungle near Thentlang village in Mizoram’s Serchhip district due to African Swine Fever (ASF), an official said on Monday.
Carcasses of about 20 wild boars were spotted by locals, who informed the state Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department. Bone marrow samples collected from the dead animals tested positive for ASF in laboratory tests confirmed on January 16.
Locals said they began noticing carcasses in the Thentlang area from the first week of December last year.
Wild boar carcasses have been discovered on several occasions in the state since the ASF outbreak in March 2021. In July 2022, carcasses were found in a jungle in Champhai district in eastern Mizoram near the Myanmar border, and laboratory tests confirmed ASF as the cause of death.
Highly decomposed carcasses were also spotted within the Bungtlang South village area on the bank of the De Lui river in south Mizoram’s Lawngtlai district near the Myanmar border in September 2024. Although samples could not be collected due to advanced decomposition, the wild boars there were suspected to have died of ASF.
A few wild boars were found dead near Saipum village in Kolasib district bordering Assam in September last year, reportedly due to the swine disease.
The ASF outbreak was first reported at Lungsen village in south Mizoram’s Lunglei district near the Bangladesh border on 21 March 2021. Since then, 72,012 pigs have died and 52,979 others were culled, affecting more than 12,500 families and causing a financial loss of Rs. 1,011.27 crore.
Between March and December last year, 9,711 pigs died due to ASF and 3,620 others were culled to prevent further spread of the disease. Altogether, 3,867 families were affected during the same period, with an estimated financial loss of Rs. 114.64 crore.